1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plant husbandry and more particularly to plant irrigators and/or fertilizers and injection.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Root feeding devices and aerator devices for introducing a growth altering material to a rooted plant have been known to the prior art in various configurations. The prior art root feeding devices have appeared as very simple structures and as very complicated structures each being designed for a specific task. Unfortunately, the simpler prior art root feeding devices have not met the specific needs of the prior art root feeding applications. A basic root feeding device must be simple and inexpensive for enabling an average consumer to purchase the device even if it is only occasionally used by the consumer. Irrespective of the low costs and simplicity, the device must have a strong body member and a digging element for generating a hole in the soil for depositing the growth altering material therein. The device must be easy to operate and adapted for digging into soft and hard soil. Many of the growth altering materials used for feeding a rooted plant are of a corrosive nature and accordingly a non-corrosive hopper for storing the growth altering material would be a desirable inclusion for the device. The device should also have simple means for controlling the flow of the growth altering material from the hopper into the hole in the soil formed by the digging element.
The prior art has not produced an apparatus for depositing a growth altering material into a plant rooted in soil which has the aforementioned desirable characteristics and which may be produced in quantity at a reasonable cost.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the pertinent art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for depositing a growth altering material to a plant rooted in soil comprising a body member having a handle member extending relative to the body member with a digging element extending from the body member having a substantially shovel-like region for digging into the soil upon application of a force to the handle member.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for depositing a growth altering material to a plant rooted in soil having a hopper for storing the growth altering material and gate means connected to the hopper for containing the growth altering material in the hopper when the gate means is in a first position and for liberating the growth altering material in proximity to a digging element when the gate means is in a second position.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for depositing a growth altering material to a plant rooted in soil including a hopper for storing the growth altering material secured relative to a body member of the apparatus with gate means movably mounted relative to the hopper between a first and a second position for controlling the flow of growth altering material therefrom with urging means coacting between the gate means and the hopper for biasing the gate means to contain the growth altering material within the hopper.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for depositing a growth altering material to a plant rooted in soil including a handle member, a hopper with gate means secured relative to the hopper and flexible cable means interconnecting the gate means and the handle for controlling the position of the gate and accordingly controlling the flow of the growth altering material from the hopper.